


Lesson Learned

by A_Heimby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9942968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Heimby/pseuds/A_Heimby
Summary: Harry thought it was time Barry learned his lesson about messing with the time line, so he comes up with a plan for when he comes back from another trip to the past. He just never expected to learn a lesson himself in the process.





	1. Chapter 1

Barry hadn’t told anyone why he was going back, only that he was. They were all against it, each taking a chance to try and change his mind, but he wouldn’t listen to them, couldn’t listen to them. The best he could do was promise that he knew what he was doing this time. He had one specific thing, in one specific moment that he needed to change, and he knew just how to do it with minimal effect on the timeline, at least collaterally speaking; he hoped. 

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Harry had decided to stay after being saved from Grodd with no real internal debate. It felt right and when he heard his daughter whispering to the West boy about staying he knew he would have stayed anyway. His family was on this Earth now. He had laughed to himself as he told the others that now this truly was Earth-One.

However, as he watched Barry disappear through another time portal he felt a part of him thinking that he might start to regret that decision. It had been bad enough coming back to this world and realising things had changed while he was gone, it could only be worse not being able to tell at all what had changed. 

That was how he got an idea on how to finally teach Barry the very important lesson that he can’t keep messing with the timeline. Though Barry was only gone for a few minutes for them it was enough time for him to plan out the basics of his plan in his head. As he watched Barry being thrown back into the proper time he took a moment to wonder at what had actually changed, what Barry had been so determined to go back and change, but the moment Barry was back on his feet he put his plan into action.

 Starting by staring at the young man with the most intense look he could muster. He had to dig uncomfortably deep into his emotions to convey what he wanted Barry to notice; worry, fear, concern and love. If there was also some irritation and frustration in there, he couldn’t really help it, those were the emotions he could never hide when he felt them, and he felt them in droves in that moment. Though, it became easier to show the other emotions when he took a moment to really take in Barry’s state. The young man was trying his best to hide it but there was an underlying sense of devastation behind his painfully fake smile. It was obvious that he wasn’t the only one to see it too because even Julian, a man out to take his “just a dick” title, was tiptoeing around Barry like he might break. They all wanted to be angry, tell Barry off for messing with the timeline yet again, but no one had the heart to so much as talk at a normal volume. The few questions they did ask, like if he was okay, where asked in a near whisper, and answered in a wavering voice.

When Barry finally looked over at him he noticed a brief flash of something on his face but he was too slow to read it. Nonetheless he took it as an opportunity to further his plan, quickly striding across the room to put his hand on Barry’s shoulder as he asked in a sickly sweat tone, at least for him, “Bare, are you sure you’re okay?” The others were looking at him like he’d lost his mind but Barry wasn’t looking at them, so he didn’t notice. Instead Barry was looking back into his eyes with a look of questioning intensity, but said nothing. After a few long moments of staring the younger man seemed to realise Harry was waiting for a response so he gave a jerky nod.

After an uncomfortable stretch of silence it seemed to become too much for HR, ever the overly hyper one, because he suddenly blurted out what everyone was thinking, “What’s different, Barry? What did you change?”

Barry tore his eyes away from Harry to look over at HR, and everyone else, before sighing, “I don’t know yet. I’ll just have to wait and see.” He paused for a moment as he looked at Iris with an odd expression before adding softly, “I just hope it worked.”

When another long pause threatened to happen, Harry took it as an opportunity to continue his plan. Looping his fingers lightly around Barry’s wrist he asked him to follow him as he guided him out of the Cortex. He had to fight off a laugh at the looks on all the other people’s faces in the room. As they entered Harry’s lab, or Cisco’s as he liked to claim, he could feel Barry’s eyes boring a hole in the back of his head. As he stopped, turning to look at Barry, he wasn’t surprised to see the confusion on the younger man’s face, though he was a little surprised by the curiosity he saw there. Ignoring that look for a moment, pushing it to the back of his mind, he instead tried to see if his plan was working as he grabbed Barry’s hand in his, interlacing their fingers, before asking in a serious tone, “Truly, Barry, have you noticed any big differences yet?”

After a few false starts Barry finally told him in a guarded voice, “No, nothing yet.” It was clearly a lie, Barry had always been a terrible liar, but Harry couldn’t tell what he was lying about. That was exactly why a part of him regretted staying, because now he had no way of knowing for sure if things were different, or more accurately, what things were different. Barry could be noticing what he was trying to make him believe or it could be something else entirely.

Sighing, Harry pulled his hand from Barry’s as he tried to keep his frustration in check, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He asked for strength as he slightly ground out, “What about small changes, Barry? Are there any small changes?” When he looked back up at Barry he let his concern show through without hindrance, hoping that would be enough.

Instead all he got was Barry shrugging slightly as he looked away and told him, “Julian seemed friendlier than normal.”  After a moment of thought he added, “Maybe we’ve gotten closer than we had been before.”

Harry took a moment to consider that but couldn’t really imagine a timeline where the British man was an even bigger dick, though he supposed Julian was closest to Barry, aside from Snow of course since they were dating. Shaking that thought from his mind he upped the ante as he stepped into Barry’s personal space, wrapping him in a tight hug, asking in a hush beside his ear, “You’d tell me though, right, if anything big had changed?”

Barry seemed to hug him back tighter as he nodded his head in a jerky motion before squeaking out, “Of course I would, Harry, once I knew what it was.”

Feeling his irritation at Barry rising he spoke before he could get overwhelmed by it, making the next step in his plan up as he went along since he had thought Barry would have said something by this point. Pulling back to look Barry in the face he asked, “Bare, sweetheart, maybe we should go back to your place to finish this conversation?” Harry patted himself on the back as he watched realization cross Barry’s face, barley holding back a smirk of his own.


	2. Chapter 2

Barry had noticed it almost the moment he got back from the past. Harry was looking at him with an oddly intense stare, a stare that made a tingle run up his spine; tingles that only intensified when the older man quickly strode forward to put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He was so consumed by it that he almost forgot to see if he had succeeded in his mission but as he looked over at Iris while he answered HR he couldn’t be sure. Though she hadn’t run forward to greet him she still looked at him with the same love she always had. There was a tinge of sadness on her face as she looked at him but that was far from an answer. He hadn’t really had time to further investigate before he felt Harry’s large hand gently wrapping around his wrist before he was being pulled out of the room and down the hall.

As they entered Harry and Cisco’s lab he found his mind stuck on Harry, or more specifically his odd behaviour, but when he felt Harry’s hand interlacing with his own his thought process stuttered to a halt. He barely even heard the question before stuttering out a lie. It was clear in the way Harry took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose that he didn’t believe him, that was Harry’s go to move when irritated, but he didn’t call Barry out on it, instead just asking the same basic question in a different way. Not wanting to further irritate the older man he gave him a different truth, after all, he had found Julian’s behaviour odd as well. It was obvious that it was not the answer Harry was hoping for though as he sent Barry a calculating look before stepping forward and wrapping him in a hug. Barry had to fight off a full body shiver at the feeling of Harry whispering in his ear but the question seemed too important not to answer as he tried to assure the other man, holding him tighter as he answered as truthfully as he dared.

However, it wasn’t until he heard the endearment fall from the other man’s lips that he truly realised what was right in front of him. Somehow, he had drastically changed the dynamic between Harry and him when he changed the past, though to what extent he wasn’t sure. For what felt like the billionth time Barry’s mind stuttered before he was able to nod jerkily. Without really thinking about it, or giving Harry a warning, he sped them both to his apartment.

Not surprisingly, he got a gruff and irritated, “Allen”, once they came to a stop in the middle of his living room. Harry had given him more than one lecture about whisking people away without warning. As Harry was pulling himself back together Barry took that time to scope out his home. The changes were subtle, yet to him, glaring. There was no longer a feminine touch to the place. He let out a small sad sigh as he became more and more sure that he had accomplished what he set out to do. As Harry continued to grumble, though in actuality it was for less than a minute, Barry checked one more thing, the closet. He felt a sharp mix of joy and sadness as he looked in to find only his own clothes.

He was pulled from staring into the closet by the sound of footsteps approaching behind him. He hadn’t realised there were tears in his eyes until he saw a look of shock flash across Harry’s face before the dark haired man asked softly, “Why are you crying?” As the other man’s eyes took in the closet comprehension seemed to dawn on him as he breathed out, “That’s why you broke up with her out of the blue at Christmas.” He looked back at Barry with an intense, compassionate stare before adding, “She was supposed move in with you, wasn’t she?”

Unable to hold back anymore of his tears Barry nodded once. Almost like he had super speed of his own, a thought that would normally make Barry shiver with fear, Harry was across the space between them and pulling Barry into a fierce hug. Hugging back as tightly as he could, holding on to Harry for dear life, he whispered through his tears, “I had no choice, Harry. It was the only way I knew I might be able to save her.” As he felt a gentle hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back Barry was grateful for the other man’s presence. He had always been the one that knew how to give Barry strength when he had none left, or at least that was how it had felt since the true Harrison Wells had come into their lives. 

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For a moment Harry faltered on whether or not he should continue with his plan, but in the end he had to. No matter how good and selfless Barry’s intentions had been he should have never messed with the timeline again, most of all after all that had gone wrong the last time. It had been his closest friends that had paid the worst prices for his imprudence.

Steeling his resolve, Harry pulled back to look deeply into Barry’s eyes, bringing his hands up to cup his face as he asked softly, “Is that the only thing that’s changed, Barry?”

A countless array of emotions flickered across Barry’s face as he looked back at Harry with an intensity he rarely saw from the younger man. Harry felt his breath catch in his lungs at the sight. Barry was biting his lip as he finally looked away, down at his feet, as he asked, “Why is it important for you to know?”

Harry could feel guilt radiating off of the other man as he contemplated what he was saying before gently lifting Barry’s head with a finger under his chin. Once he was looking into his eyes again Harry asked with genuine confusion and curiosity, “Why don’t you want to tell me what’s different, Barry?”

It seemed like Barry might actually answer when he opened his mouth to talk but they were interrupted by the sound of both their phones going off. It was the alert app telling them there was a metahuman attack going on downtown. Harry barely had enough time to let out a sigh before he felt the far too familiar rush of being sped back to S.T.A.R. Labs. He wasn’t even sure if Barry was able to hear his yelled, “Allen”, before he was gone yet again to save the day.

That didn’t mean the others didn’t notice though as they all chuckled around him, his daughter coming up to him to slap him on the back as she teased, “Only Barry can get you so red in the face, Dad.”

Letting out an indignant huff and trying to pat down his already unruly hair, he told her, “A lot of people make me angry, Jesse Quick, as you love to remind me. It’s not just Allen.”

Using a look she had gotten from her Mother, she raised an eyebrow and smirked as she mumbled into her coffee, “Who said anything about anger?” Everyone laughed harder when all he could do was sputter at the implication.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Barry had the latest metahuman gone bad in the back of a cruiser it was getting pretty late. When he returned back to the lab to change into his street cloths it was to find almost everyone had already left, or in Harry, Jesse and HR’s case, gone to their rooms to sleep. The only person left was Julian who seemed to be waiting for him. With a small smile the British man said, “I thought maybe you had forgotten our plans for tonight.”

Unable to stop it, Barry looked at the other man questioningly as he asked, “Plans for tonight?”

Looking a little put down and awkward, Julian assured, “If you did, it’s fine. It’s not like we ever made Friday night drinks official.”

Wanting to remove the look of hurt from the other man’s face Barry quickly covered, “No, no of course I didn’t forget about Friday night drinks, I just lost track of the day. I thought it was Thursday.” With an awkward smile he shrugged as he added, “I guess time travel messes with my internal clock more than I thought.”

When a real smile overtook Julian’s face it made the slight fib well worth it. In truth, his internal clock was better than ever, probably because it didn’t really have a choice. As he grabbed his jacket and followed the other man out he confirmed in his own head that this must have been something else that got affected, he had only ever gone out for drinks with Julian the one time. This was a happy change though, he had wanted to try and get closer to the other man, and now he was. He guessed that with Iris out of the picture he must have had more time to spend on his other relationships. As he slid into the passenger seat of Julian’s car he realised how much he had been neglecting everyone else in favor of her. He supposed he was happy that something good came out of all this. The rest of the drive was spent thinking about Harry and wondering how exactly his relationship with him had changed.

As the two friends, because he could apparently call them that now, drank, they talked. They talked about science and their field, about physics and some of the strange stuff that had happened recently, and to Barry’s slight surprise, Caitlin. Julian had seen his surprise and when Barry let slip that he hadn’t even known they were dating told him all about it. Apparently, in this time line, shortly after Christmas they had gone out for drinks and after Julian told Barry how he felt about Caitlin the speedster had encouraged him to ask her out, and apparently, she had said yes. They had been dating since.

When Julian had gotten a little drunk Barry found he couldn’t hold in a burning question anymore. Blurting it out suddenly, he asked Julian, “Do you know what my relationship with Harry has been like since he got back?”

Julian let out a loud burst of laughter before saying, “I’m not really sure I can answer that, mate.” He seemed to be trying to sit up straighter as he continued, “I know he hates it when you spend too much time with HR, not that he actually says anything. You two do spend a lot of time together but I don’t know what you guys do.” He seemed to take a moment to think before adding distractedly, “Probably sciencey things and stuff.”

Sighing, Barry accepted that Julian probably didn’t have any more of the answers he was looking for, so he moved past it. Not long later he was speeding a drunken Julian home who promptly threw up in the bushes. As Barry ran home he decided that maybe he shouldn’t speed people who had been drinking anywhere anymore, after all that was far from the first time he had gotten that response.

As he walked into his empty apartment he felt some of the weight of his actions hit him again, still waiting for that moment when it will all hit him at once. Letting out a sad chuckle he grabbed one of Cisco’s food bars before heading to bed. It had been a long, confusing and stressful day and he just wanted to sleep. Instead he found himself awake in bed for another couple hours as he thought about Harry.

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Harry, for his part, was tossing and turning in bed, thinking about the personal boundaries Barry had let him cross, barely blinking an eye. Though they had gotten closer since his return from Gorilla City they had definitely not gotten quite that close. The most physical contact Harry ever really gave people who weren’t his daughter was a pat on the back or a hand on the shoulder. He rarely hugged and only like he had Barry in special circumstances, though he supposed it wasn’t unheard of for him to comfort the younger man that way. He sure as hell had never touched his face before though.

As he tuned from his stomach to his back Jesse let out a dramatic sigh from across the room before whispering in an irritated tone, “Seriously, Dad, stop tossing and turning, I’m trying to sleep here and your bed is so noisy.”

Feeling bad for keeping his daughter awake alongside him, Harry let out a sigh. Rolling out of bed he grabbed his glasses and crossed the room to kiss Jesse on the forehead, telling her to get some sleep, before quietly slipping out of the room in search of something that might be able to clear his mind.

 What he found was HR sitting upside down on a chair in the Cortex as he ate a red vine and read a book. Rubbing his forehead, he startled the other man, the other him, as he asked in an exasperated voice, “What, pray tell, are you doing?”

He tried not to wince as the other man fell to the floor with a thud before stepping forward to help him up. As he took in the fun house mirror version of himself he tried to keep his mind on track. He couldn’t let himself contemplate this man to long or he’d get lost in his own mind.

HR was all smiles and energy, as usual, as he exclaimed excitedly, “I’m reading _The Princess Bride_. Cisco says he won’t let me watch the movie until I do.” After a pause where he produced two cups of coffee, from god knew where, he asked in return, “What are ya doing up yourself, handsome?”

Fighting off a shiver of repulsion, he did not like to be flirted with by a man who looked just like him, even if it was just innocent and playful, and kind of narcissistic, he sighed, “Couldn’t sleep and my tossing and turning was driving my daughter crazy.”

Nodding like he understood HR blurted out, “It’s so cool you have a daughter. I wish I had a daughter. I think I’d be a good Dad.” There was a moment of silence where it seemed HR was waiting for Harry to say something but when he didn’t HR continued talking, though it was more like they had just started, as he asked, “So, Barry was acting weird when he got back, am I right?”

Pressing his fingers to his forehead again, because this was exactly the subject he was trying to avoid, all Harry said was, “I suppose.”

He watched as an oddly calculating look took over HR’s face, making him look more like Harry than ever, before also pointing out, “Then again, so were you, weren’t you?” The smile returned to the other man’s face as he asked, “Does that have anything to do with why you can’t sleep?”

The look HR was giving him was penetrating, like he could see into his mind and soul, so instead of trying to lie, he simply confirmed, “It is related.” 

Nodding like everything made sense now, HR told him, “Until you talk to the young man you’ll probably be as sleepless as me.”

A little aggravated with himself for having to be told what he already knew, he snipped at his doppelganger, “Well, maybe if you stopped drinking coffee at all hours of the day and night you might actually be able to sleep.”

HR only kept smiling as he raised an eyebrow and sing-songed, “You know I’m right.”

Feeling the irrational anger leave his body Harry slumped into a nearby chair as he accepted one of the cups of coffee and lightly growled, “I know.”

The rest of the night was spent surprisingly pleasantly with HR doing a dramatic reading of the book for Harry. He wasn’t even sure when he fell asleep, only that he woke up with a start at the desk as Cisco patted him on the back and stage whispered, “Wakey, wakey, Harry. Time to get up and stop drooling on my computer.”  


	4. Chapter 4

Barry had gotten very little sleep, and the sleep he did get was wrestles. By the time his alarm was going off he felt more tired than he had when he went to sleep. As he ran toward the lab he decided to stop for coffee, otherwise he felt like he might end up sleep running, which did not sound safe, for anyone.

He was a little surprised to find Harry and HR both fast asleep in the Cortex. Harry slumped in a chair onto the desk, and HR, ever the more confounding, sprawled out in the middle of the floor like a mannequin that had been knocked over and forgotten. Barry had almost tripped over his arm, still clutching a book in his hand.

Chuckling to himself at the sight Barry quietly sat himself down in the chair next to Harry, perfectly okay with waiting for him to wake up. It looked like he could use the sleep. That idea was thrown out the window though as he watched Caitlin and Cisco arrive, the latter with an evil smile on his face. He and Caitlin both chuckled as they watched Harry jerk awake with a hazy look and startled yelp, glasses hanging oddly from one ear. Then three young adults burst into proper laughter as HR in turn jerked awake with a yell of, “As you wish!”

As the laughter died down it was to the sight of two eerily identical pouts. They were quickly wiped away though as Barry held up two coffee’s. HR rushed forward with far too much energy as he grabbed the coffee, saying thank you like he had been given the best gift ever. Barry smiled back before turning to Harry to give him his. He much preferred the thank you he got from Harry, a small genuine smile and nod. Feeling a blush starting to work up his neck Barry cleared his throat awkwardly before looking to them both and saying, “No problem.”

He was only saved from the searching look Harry gave him in response by Jesse speeding in, only to stop next to her Dad and snatch the coffee from his hand. He didn’t do more than give his daughter a raised eyebrow before she stuck her tongue out saying, “Yuck, Dad, how can you drink coffee black? I’ll never understand.” He only chuckled at his daughter’s antics as he snatched his coffee back before pointedly taking a large mouthful and swallowing with a dramatic ah. Barry watched his smile grow even broader as he produced another coffee, making his daughter squeak in delight as she took a sip. Looking down at her Dad she told him, “See, now this is what coffee should taste like. I knew Barry had good taste.” She looked at him and winked as she said it, confusing Barry. He could tell she was trying to hint at something but had no clue as to what, or at least doubted what came to mind.

It wasn’t long though before Barry had to head off to work. He hated Saturday shifts. He was just about to speed off when he felt a now somehow familiar hand wrap gently around his wrist. Turning around he found Harry giving him an oddly guarded look before asking, “Barry, can I talk to you in private for a moment?” Looking around the room he noticed no one seemed to be paying attention to them but he let Harry lead him to the lab anyway. Once they were down there Harry put some space between them before asking, “Can we meet somewhere later to talk? I think there is something we should discuss.”

Feeling confused, in so many different ways, Barry furrowed his brow as he asked, “Aren’t we talking now?”

Giving him a small smirk Harry told him, “I don’t know how long the talk will take but it will definitely be longer than we have now.” Harry was leaning back against the work table, arms folded over his chest, almost an exact picture of how he was when he first arrived, only less sad. It pained Barry to see him looking so closed off again.

Trying to keep a frown from his face Barry told him, “Why don’t you come by my place when I’m off work.” He thought better of it before adding, “Or after we’re done with Flash stuff if anything comes up.”

Nodding, Harry gave him a weak smile before pushing off the table and leaving the room, throwing a, “Have a good day, Barry”, over his shoulder.

As Barry sped to work, knowing he would still be late somehow, he found his mind foggier than ever. Every time he thought he was figuring out what had changed between him and Harry something else would happen to make him doubt it. He was determined to figure it out that night when the older man was over.

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As Harry walked back into the Cortex he didn’t miss the odd looks he was getting from the other four. His daughter must have drawn the short straw as she looped her arm through his, coffees in hand, and led him right back out of the room, not stopping until they were outside in a small garden beside the building.

After they were seated on a bench she finally said, “So, HR tells me that you couldn’t sleep because you had something on your mind, or rather someone.” She laughed as he choked on his coffee before adding, “Oh, come on, Dad. We all noticed that something was off with you and Barry yesterday after he got back.”

As he stared ahead, not able to look his daughter in the eye as he contemplated possibly lying to her, he said, “I have no idea what you mean, Jesse.” She wasn’t taking that as an answer though as she placed a gentle hand on her Father’s cheek and made him turn toward her, giving him another one of her Mother’s patented, no bullshit, looks.

Sighing, he said, “Okay, okay, Jesse, just stop looking at me like that.” Taking a deep breath he told her the truth, “Yesterday, I decided it was time Barry learned his lesson about messing with the timeline and I thought if I startled him with how much things could change, it might get through that especially thick skull of his.” Pulling off his glasses he became more and more agitated as he explained, “I thought if I acted like he and I were all of a sudden in a romantic relationship it might shock some sense into him but every time I asked him if something was different than before he’d say nothing was, or Julian was nicer than normal, and even as we were standing in his bedroom, with my hand cupping his face he still didn’t say anything!” He hadn’t realised he was yelling until he heard his own voice echo back. Burying his face in his hands he mumbled, “Now I’m just exceedingly confused.”

He didn’t know how he had expected his daughter to react to his little confession, but it definitely hadn’t been with laughter. Jesse was laughing gently as she wrapped an arm around her Father before telling him, “This makes so much more sense now.” At the questioning look he sent her, she continued, “I’ve been trying to figure out why HR bothers you so much, since you two have nothing in common but a name and a face, and it makes complete sense now. You’re jealous of the time he spends with Barry!”

Letting out an indignant huff, he told his daughter, “I am _not_ jealous of that jack wagon.”

Jesse only laughed as she asked, “Really, Dad? You think I can’t decipher your jealous face? I learned how to do that when I was sixteen and you met my physics professor.”

Raising his eyebrows he informed her, “Well, I still say I taught you far better than that odd little elf man ever could.” 

Jesse only laughed as she asserted, “My point is, Dad, that I knew you were jealous of HR and now I know why. You’re afraid Barry likes him more than you.” When all he could do was send her pitiful look she pulled him closer as she assured him, “But that’s absurd, Dad. He doesn’t look at HR with moons in his eyes, he looks at you like that, always has from what I’ve seen.” She gave that a moment to sink in before adding quietly, “He has proven more than once that he is willing to die for you, and by extension me, and as they say on this earth, ‘if that aint’ love, I don’t know what is’.”

He couldn’t stop the smile that resulted from his amazing daughter’s words, but he still had doubts, and not just about how Barry felt, but about how he felt as well. He hadn’t so much as glanced in another person’s direction in that way since he lost his wife, he wasn’t sure if he still could. His mind was too muddled to make sense of any of it. Figuring he had already embarrassed himself in front of his daughter already, he looked to her as he asked, “How do you think I feel?”

She sent him a sad little smile as she told him, “I think you haven’t connected with another person like you have with Barry since Mom. I think you are happier than I’ve seen you in a very long time when you’re with him, and that you’re sad whenever we leave.” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug as she softly told him, “I think you care so much about him that it scares you.” He could hear a wobble in her voice as she all but whispered, “And I think you’re worried about what I’ll think.” She kissed her father’s cheek before gently telling him, “I’d just be happy to see you happy, Dad. That’s all I want for you. I want to see you happy again, and I think Mom would want that too.”

He wasn’t even aware of the tears in his eyes until Jesse wiped one away, looking at him with a watery smile. Pulling her into a proper hug he held her close with her head tucked under his chin as he chocked out, “Look at you, Jesse Quick, knowing your old man’s heart better than he does.”

She let out a small giggle as he kissed the top of her head that reminded him of her as a little girl before he heard her add quietly, “I know you won’t love me any less because you love him too, Dad.”

Holding her as tight as he could without hurting her he closed his eyes as he told her, “I love you, so much, sweaty, I hope you never forget that.”

He felt her hug back even tighter as she assured him, “I know, Dad. I love you, too.”


	5. Chapter 5

Maybe the good will between him and Julian only went so far, or maybe it was just because he was at work on a Saturday hung over, but within an hour of arriving Julian was yelling at him to get out of the lab and go get a coffee or something. Apparently not only was his bouncing knee too distracting, but he was also thinking too loud. Barry spared a quick moment to wonder if his time as Alchemy gave the other man telepathy but laughed at himself for even thinking it. Instead of arguing he simply got up and left with a small wave. He heard Julian let out a sigh of relief as he walked down the hall.

At the top of the stairs he was happy to look down and see Joe just walking in. Rushing at a normal human pace he managed to grab Joe just before heading to his desk.

Looking a little awkward, he asked his adoptive father, “Could I talk to you about something… in private.”

Joe seemed to pick up on something on his face as his fatherly concern took over and he assured Barry, “Of course, Bare, you know you can always talk to me.” With a guiding hand on his back Joe steered him toward an empty hallway before demanding, “Okay, spill Barry, what’s up?” He paused before asking in a hushed tone, “Does this have to do with what you did yesterday?”

Fidgeting as he bit his lip he nodded, before thinking better and saying, “Well, kinda.” He could see the question in Joe’s eyes before diverting his own and asking, “How would you describe my relationship with Harry?”

Seeming very surprised by the question, Joe asked, “Why?” When all he got in response was a shrug he scratched his neck as he took a deep breath before answering, “Well, if you would have asked me when he first got here I probably would have had nothing good to say but now, since you’ve saved his daughter, I’d say you two have a pretty good relationship.”

Feeling a little frustrated, Barry clarified, “I don’t mean like that, I mean, I don’t know, how close do you think we are?” He could feel a blush creeping onto his face as he sent Joe a pleading look.

In response he got two raised eyebrows as Joe answered, “I don’t know, Bare. You two seem pretty close. You spend a lot of time together, but you spend a lot of time with all of Team Flash.” He seemed to be considering something before adding, “You have been spending more one on one time with him in his lab since you saved him from Grodd, but I just figured that was you wanting to make sure he was still alive and well and not kidnapped by a psychotic telepathic gorilla.” He studied Barry’s face for a moment before asking questions of his own. “Why are you asking, Bare? Do you think you changed something between the two of you by going back?”

He could feel the blush taking over his face as he nodded before saying, “I’m just trying to figure out how and to what extent.”

There was a long moment of silence as Joe continued to study his face before seeming to come to some sort of conclusion and finally saying, “I hope you know that I love you no matter what, Bare, and so does Iris. I know you two broke up but we both just want you to be happy. We won’t judge you on what, or who, it is that does that for you.”

There had never been a moment where Barry was more grateful for the father fate gave him that horrible night. Though he was still blushing an alarming shade of red he still had a huge smile engulfing his face as he pulled Joe into a hug, mumbling, “I don’t know what that is yet, but I think I might have an idea. Thank you, Joe. I really needed to have this talk.”

Patting his back his father told him, “Anytime, Bare, you know that.”

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The rest of the day seemed to simultaneously last forever and speed by for Harrison Wells of Earth-Two. He felt a juvenile sense of giddiness and nervousness as he thought about what he’d say to Barry later that day.

At first the others seemed put off by his good mood, aside from HR who welcomed it with open arms, but as Cisco and Caitlin came to accept that it wasn’t a trap they took full advantage in any way they could think. Cisco picked his brain about some ideas he had, as well as had him participating in a game of Twister at one point, and Caitlin used him as a sounding board for study idea’s she could do on her powers, as well as for her relationship. He even joined HR in a continued dramatic reading of _The Princess Bride_ for his daughter, and when he showed up, Wally West.

However, by the time mid-afternoon hit, Cisco couldn’t take the unknown anymore, blurting out in the middle of HR’s reading of the marriage speech, “Why are you smiling like that, Harry? I don’t understand it and I find it to be a little scary, quite frankly.”

Caitlin, one of his favorites, hit Cisco hard enough to make him wince as she asked, “Really, Cisco?”

The shorter man only shrugged as he rubbed his arm and defended, “What, like you haven’t been wondering the same thing too?”

Blushing slightly, she hissed, “That’s not the point, Cisco.”

Finding it nothing more than amusing, Harry told him, “Ramon, if you must know, my daughter helped me clear up some confusion in my head and I think I will be far better off for it.” He gave Cisco a wide toothy grin to finish, laughing when the other man made a show of shivering in his seat.

HR was the first to respond as he clapped a hand on his back, saying, “Though I’ll miss having a late night buddy to read with I’m happy to hear you’re happy, my friend!”

Grinning back he assured, “Oh, don’t worry. There are plenty of insomniacs on Team Flash. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of reading buddies yet.”

Of course, by the time Barry was off work, there was yet another metahuman rampaging through the city intent on ruining Harry’s night. Not only that, but this particular one was apparently speedster proof. Even with all three of them against her they couldn’t take her in. In the end it was up to Cisco and Caitlin to get her, which they did, near midnight.

Harry was sitting back at the lab with HR, feeling rather useless, when three blurs shot into the room followed by a breach that Cisco and Caitlin jumped through. Sighing, he turned to HR as he asked, “Are we the only ones who use a car anymore?”

Just because he was HR and he had to, the other man said with an uncalled for smile, “I can’t drive, silly. The vehicles on my planet are all driverless AI’s.”

Lifting an eyebrow at the very odd man that somehow shared his DNA, Harry forced his brain from his words as he looked to Barry who was standing off to the side fidgeting, already back in his normal clothes. Standing, he approached Barry, asking, “Do you still want to have that talk?”

Heaving a sigh, Barry seemed to relax as he nodded his head, saying, “Yes, I really would.” He seemed to stop to think about something before hesitantly asking, “Can I speed us there? I’d like to start talking sooner rather than later, it’s getting late.”

Not being able to stop a smile at the endearing amount of awkwardness, Harry nodded, adding, “Maybe we should stop to pick something up for a late dinner on the way. I’m starving, so you must be famished.” The smile Barry gave him in return was well worth the slightly queasy stomach he got from the running.


	6. Chapter 6

Not even bothering to ask where, Barry sped them threw a Big Belly Burger, which was well worth the smile it put on Harry’s face to the younger man. He’d never quite understand the degree that Harry loved the stuff, and apparently all Harrison Wells’, but he supposed it could be worse things; like HR’s complete obsession with coffee.

When he noticed that Harry didn’t start eating the moment they got to his apartment he frowned before asking, “I thought you were hungry?” He started to panic as he hastened to add, “You do still like Big Belly Burger, right?”

Laughing slightly, the dark haired man reached out from his seat on the couch to grab Barry’s hand as he assured him, “Yes, Barry, I still like Big Belly Burger. I don’t think that will ever change, apparently no matter which earth.” He made sure Barry was looking him in the eye before explaining, “The speedster thing just unsettled my stomach a little. It just needs a moment to settle again.” Barry felt the tension leave his body at Harry’s reassuring smile, but still felt guilty.

Slumping down next to the other man, he asked, “Is that why you get so angry at me when I do it without warning?” He couldn’t make himself look up at him but then he felt gentle fingers under his chin.

Once he was looking into those amazingly blue eyes again, Harry softly told him, “That’s part of the reason I get frustrated, Barry, but I don’t get angry about that, even if that’s how my frustration comes across.” He seemed to be gathering his thoughts for a moment before adding in an even softer tone, “I don’t get angry at you, Barry, never you.” He let out a small laugh before finishing, “Frustrated, sure, but not angry.”

There seemed to be so much meaning behind Harry’s words but still, Barry couldn’t quite figure out the extent. There were so many signs that said he had missed the start of a relationship with this amazing man, yet no one else seemed to think that was what was going on between them. At least it would appear they had never been straight out told about it.

Needing more time to gather his own thoughts, Barry grabbed the hand that was still under his chin, holding it in both of his as he asked, “Is your stomach settled enough to eat now?” Harry gave him an odd calculating look, his brows drawn together, before simply nodding and pulling back into his own space. He wasn’t sure why, but it felt like a punch to the gut, like Harry was closing himself off again.

Not willing to accept that, Barry moved closer until their legs were touching. He sent a quick look to gage Harry’s reaction but couldn’t decipher what he saw, but he didn’t put space between them again so he tried to take that as a good sign. As they ate their food in a surprisingly comfortable silence, to him silence was rarely comfortable, he focused all his attention on Harry. On how they interacted before he went back, on how they interacted since getting back and on how he felt about it. He’d be lying if he said he had never entertained the fantasy of the older man seeing him as more than just a colleague and friend, but at the same time he had never actually thought that possible. Really, just the fact that it seemed to be a possibility now scared him senseless. Harry meant way too much to him for him to put that relationship in jeopardy, even if it was to further it, because if things didn’t work out he didn’t think he could handle losing Harry as well. He had already lost so much, so many people he loved. He didn’t think he’d survive losing Harry, even if it was just to another earth or even city. He needed the older man in his life.  

He hadn’t realised he had started panicking until he felt Harry’s hand on his back and heard his voice asking gently, “Barry, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Forcing his eyes up, Barry looked to the man beside him. He looked panicked as well. Shaking his head, he tried to say that it was nothing but the words got stuck in his throat. All that came out was an odd wheezing sound which made him realise he couldn’t breathe. Panicking further, he grabbed at his throat.

He felt some of the panic leaving his body as Harry grabbed both of his hands, gently prying them away from his throat, holding both in one of his, the other going up to Barry’s face. Cupping his face he could feel the other man’s thumb stroking his cheek slowly as Harry tried to get him to look at him. When Barry was finally able to focus Harry soothed, “Barry, it’s okay, breathe. Keep looking at me. I want you to breathe with me, okay?” When Barry managed a small nod Harry started guiding him through his breathing. It took a few minutes, but eventually Barry was able to calm down again.

As the last tendrils of panic let go he also felt his energy go with it. Without thinking, he slumped forward onto Harry, burying his face in the older man’s neck. When he felt one of Harry’s arms wrap around him he felt safer than he ever remembered feeling. 

They stayed like that for a little while, until Harry started to shift away. Coming to his sense’s, and realizing that if he had been reading things wrong he may have just crossed a boundary, Barry jumped back. He got sent another one of those odd calculating looks again before Harry asked, “Are you going to tell me what caused that?”

Shaking his head he tried to lie. “It was nothing, Harry.” Barry had to look away at the look of disbelief he got in return.

He let out a soft sigh when he felt Harry’s hands gently cupping his face again before the man softly called his bluff, “People don’t just start to hyperventilate for no reason, Barry, especially a speedster. So let me ask again, what just caused that? What were you think about?”

Leaning into his hands, Barry said the only truth he could, “I was thinking about what I changed by going back.”

There was a flicker of hurt that crossed Harry’s face before it landed on anger, or irritation he supposed. Nonetheless, the next thing he knew Harry was pulling back and lurching to his feet before he started pacing. The older man started to rant, “I don’t understand why you keep lying to me, Barry. I keep giving you opportunity after opportunity to tell me the truth, but you don’t, you won’t.” His voice kept rising as he went until Barry got up to try and calm him down, and he yelled, “Why won’t you tell me what changed, Barry?!”

Standing near him, Barry wanted to come clean, but his words failed him, leaving him gaping as he got drawn into those eyes again. All he managed was a weak, “Harry…”

Striding forward quickly, clearly still agitated, Harry took Barry’s face in his hands again, closing the space between their faces until their noses almost touched,  as he asked in an intense whisper, “What’s different, Barry?”  Before Barry could make himself respond the space between them was gone. As he felt Harry’s lips pressing desperately against his own he couldn’t think about anything but returning the kiss in kind.

=====================================================================================

As he felt Barry returning his kiss he felt most of his agitation leave his body. He really hadn’t planned on doing it, but he couldn’t regret it. Still, he had started this whole thing for a reason, so gathering together as much self-control as he could, he pulled back. None of the intensity had left his voice as he whispered, “Please, Barry. Just tell me what’s changed.” When all he got was a blank look as Barry bit his lip he let out a sigh, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against Barry’s he asked, “Why won’t you tell me?”

When he felt Barry put a hand on his cheek he was a little surprised to hear him whisper back, “I’m afraid.”

Opening his eyes and looking deeply into Barry’s, he simply asked. “Why?”

Barry let out a sad, self-deprecating laugh as he closed his own eyes and told him, “I’m afraid I’m wrong.” Harry wasn’t sure how to respond to that but before he could Barry was looking at him again with more intensity and steel than Harry had ever seen on the younger man. In a low tone, Barry told him, “I can’t lose you too, Harry.” His eyes started to glisten as he choked out, “I don’t think I could handle that, not after everything else.”

The amount of pain and sadness radiating off of Barry was too much to take, so Harry pulled him into a hug. He felt that all too familiar sting at the back of his eyes as he kissed Barry’s temple and told him, “You could never do anything to lose me Barry, never.” At that, he felt the body against his start to relax little by little.

 When Barry let out a big yawn Harry decided they could finish this conversation in the morning. He was feeling a little reluctant to come clean himself now anyway. So, pulling back he grabbed Barry’s hand and pulled him toward the bedroom. He pushed Barry lightly to sit on the edge of the bed before quietly telling him, “Get some sleep, Barry.” As he turned around to leave he felt a hand grab his, gently tugging him back.

As he turned around he was faced with another intense look as Barry pleaded, “Please stay, Harry.” He looked down at his feet as he whispered, “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

He knew it was a bad idea, a terrible idea, with things still so muddied between them, all because of him, but he also couldn’t say no to Barry, never could. Signing, he nodded, before walking around to the other side of the bed. Stripping down to his shirt and boxers he slipped under the covers, trying his best to relax. He was a little grateful when the only contact Barry sought out was grabbing his hand. He could handle that, it was innocent enough.

It wasn’t long before he heard Barry’s breathing even out and the hand gripping his slackened. Still not letting go of it he let his own mind drift off. It didn’t take to long for sleep to claim him as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry woke up feeling rested to the smell of coffee and bacon. For a fleeting moment he was back in his old home, his daughter in the kitchen singing along to the radio, but then he realised the voice singing was most definitely male, and no offence meant to his daughter, but a far better singer. Opening his eyes he took in the room around him and like that, the previous night came flooding back.

Covering his face with his hands he let out a small groan. How had he let things get this out of control? As he heard a new song start, one that apparently Barry knew well judging by the way he was singing along, he pulled himself together. Reaching for his glasses he looked for his pants and sweater. After quickly slipping back into them he decided to head to the kitchen.

He couldn’t help but smile and laugh at what he found. Barry was singing and dancing while sporadically using his speed as he cooked. It didn’t help that he let out a startled yelp when he noticed Harry standing a few feet away.

Trying to school his features, Harry asked, “Do you start every morning with this much energy?”

An odd look crossed Barry’s face before it settled on a small awkward smile and he shrugged, answering, “It depends, really.”

Not being able to help but return the smile, he further asked, “And what, exactly, does it depend on?”

Blushing deeply and turning back toward the cooking food, Barry mumbled, “It depends on how happy I am.”

Feeling both of his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, Harry tried to take that answer in. He really didn’t know how to respond to that and all its implications, but before he even got a chance to the food was ready. Between one blink and the next the table was set for breakfast, so without a word, Harry sat. Once again they ate in a comfortable silence, something Harry truly appreciated. It was rare to find people in life you could just sit with without feeling the need to fill the silence. That had been one of the things he loved most about his wife; Tess and he could sit for hours and never utter a single word and be all the stronger for it.

After they had finished eating, Barry speeding through the dishes before Harry could even try and clean a plate, they just sat in the living room. When the silence started to become heavy and uncomfortable it was Harry that broke first, looking at his hands as he pointed out, “We still need to finish that conversation.”

He could feel Barry’s eyes on him but he couldn’t look back. After hearing a small sigh Barry finally agreed, “Yes, we do.” There was a long pause until Barry finally said, “Harry, please look at me.” Reluctantly, he did. He didn’t know what his face looked like in that moment but it seemed to concern Barry as he told him, “If you really want me to, I’ll tell you what’s different.”

Rubbing his mouth, Harry closed his eyes as he nodded, mumbling, “I want you to tell me, Barry.”

He heard Barry take in a sharp breath before finally telling him, “Our relationship seems to have changed, gotten closer.”

Taking his glasses off and burying his whole face in his hands, Harry softly asked, “What do you mean by closer?”

Apparently, Barry wasn’t going to put up with him hiding his face anymore though, because he felt his hands being gently pulled away as Barry caught his eye, gently answering, “More intimate.”

Looking into Barry’s eyes, he asked, “Because I kissed you?”

To his surprise, Barry shook his head before saying, “Not just that, all of it. Before, I think you maybe hugged me two or three times, ever. You’ve hugged me that many times in a single day since I’ve gotten back. You also weren’t much more forthcoming with even pats on the back. I mean, sure, you had definitely never kissed me before, in any sort of way, but it’s the other things that seem more significant. Even the way you talk to me, actually open up, let me see what you’re thinking and feeling is different. The only time you ever did that before was when you were talking about Jesse when she was kidnapped. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been able to talk to you, go to you for help and advice, but you never really talked back, not about yourself.” Barry paused for a moment, thinking, before he added, “We also never spent that much time together, alone at least. Everyone keeps telling me that since you decided to stay I’ve spent more time with you, one on one, and I feel like that might be the biggest difference and the one I most regret missing.”

Harry really didn’t know how to take this all in. Sure, there was the stuff he had purposefully mislead Barry about, but some of the things he was saying were actual differences. He felt his heart ache thinking about losing the time he had spent with Barry over the last while. Had Barry leaving Iris really changed their relationship that much?

The look in Barry’s eyes was too much for him to take though. He was looking at him with love and acceptance, and knowing what he had done to mislead Barry tainted that. Knowing what he had to do, the only way to make things right again, he steeled his resolve before confessing, “I was trying to teach you a lesson, Barry.” He had to pause to force air into his lungs before quietly finishing, “I thought if I made you think you changed our relationship so drastically, you might actually learn your lesson about tampering with the timeline.”

=====================================================================================

He didn’t know quite how he expected Harry to react to the truth but he didn’t expect the look of complete and utter devastation. He definitely didn’t see Harry’s own little confession coming either. He didn’t expect it to hurt so much, for it to feel like a knife to the heart.

The pause between sentences felt like a lifetime and the silence that stretched on after, even longer. He couldn’t believe that Harry of all people would just toy with his emotions like that, especially after what happened with the last man that wore his face. Harry hated nothing more than being compared to Eobard but in this moment Barry felt like there was actually something to compare. Eobard had made a game out of toying with him, making him care about him, and now he feared that might have been what Harry did.

Barry wanted to run away. He wanted to abandon his own apartment and just start running, but a voice in his head told him he had to stay, so instead he just stood up on shaky legs and went to the other side of the room, standing by the window.

Holding back his emotions as best he could, barely keeping tears at bay, he asked in a whisper, “So you’ve just been playing a part to prove you’re right, that I messed up, again?”

He could see Harry in his peripherals shoot to his feet and take a couple steps toward him, but he stopped in the middle of the room. Turning to look at the man he saw panic that was usually reserved for only his daughter. The second they locked eyes though, Harry looked down. He seemed to be trying to speak, his mouth opening and closing, before finally he heard a faint, “No. It’s not like that.”

Feeling a rare surge of anger, Barry closed the space between them as he stood in front of Harry and demanded, “Then what is it like, Dr. Wells?” He hadn’t really meant to let the name slip but it seemed to work as Harry’s head shot up, a look like he had just been slapped on his face.

Eyes already brimming with tears, all Harry got out was a faint and watery, “Barry…” He wasn’t going to make this easy on the man though so he stayed quiet, not responding. It was Harry’s turn to talk, not his. After a few very long moments he seemed to pull himself together as he tried to explain, “It wasn’t supposed to go this far. You were supposed to tell me, that day at the lab, that something had changed between us, and I would have told you the truth. I never thought…” Pausing, Harry took a deep breath as he took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, until finally breathing out, “I never imagined in any world that you would actually return my feelings, Barry, or I wouldn’t have done it.” Looking him in the eyes again, Harry seemed to be trying to will Barry to believe him as he pleaded, “I never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe that.” He wasn’t even trying to stop his tears as he whispered, “Barry, I would never hurt you on purpose.”

The petty part of Barry wanted to stay angry, throw more hurtful words at Harry, but the truth was he hadn’t meant to let that name slip, and he never wanted to hurt Harry on purpose either. He also couldn’t ignore the look of unbearable pain that was on the other man’s face in that moment.

Stepping past his anger, he let himself take in what Harry had actually said, and in the end the words that stood out were like a beacon of light and hope. Those words being ‘return my feeling’, meaning Harry had feeling to return.

Biting his lip Barry decided to go for it, quickly reaching out to grab Harry’s face as he pulled him closer. He paused for a brief moment, just long enough for Harry to pull back if he wanted to, before pressing his lips to Harry’s in a chaste but passionate kiss. After getting over the shock Harry didn’t hesitate in returning it in kind.

Barry wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, kissing like teenagers in the middle of his living room, but by the time they were pulling back they were both gasping for air. Harry had an amazing goofy smile on his face as he looked back at Barry before cheekily asking, “So does that mean you forgive me?”

Laughing, Barry pulled him in for a hug, saying, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”

The moment was shattered though by the sound of Barry’s phone going off, a message telling him to get to S.T.A.R. Labs as fast as possible. With a quick warning, he was speeding him and Harry back to the labs.


	8. Chapter 8

Barry dropped Harry off at his room, they had forgotten his shoes and socks, before heading to the Cortex, so he was alone as he entered a room full of panicky people.

They all tried to talk at once, but after a sharp whistle from Joe they all quieted down. Frowning, Barry asked, “Can one person tell me what’s wrong, please.”

It was Jesse that stepped forward with a frazzled look as she told him in a rush, “My Dad didn’t come home last night and I didn’t even notice him leave and he’s not answering his phone and Cisco can’t get a trace on it and I don’t know where he is…” Her panic only kept rising, and her voice with it as she exclaimed, “What if something else decided to kidnap him!”

He should have known better than to laugh, because apparently Jesse could hit hard, but he couldn’t help it. There was a room full of people freaking out because a grown man stayed out all night. He only managed to rein in his laughter when he saw the hurt look in the young woman’s eyes but before he could assure her that her father was okay said man walked into the room, and apparently he hadn’t thought to change his clothes.

It was Cisco who pointed that out after whistling and saying, “Oh, look who’s doing the walk of shame. Who was the lucky lady, Harry?”

He could feel a blush quickly spreading across his face as the older man stopped next to him. Harry, never able to pass up a chance to mess with Cisco, simply asked in return, “Who said it was a lady, Ramon?”

It seemed he got the desired effect as Harry smirked at a gaping Cisco, and team. Really, only three people seemed unaffected, HR, Joe and Jesse.

The latter broke the stunned silence by squealing and running to hug her Dad, though that just caused more confusion.

Iris spoke next, asking, “Wait, where were you all night then?”

Before Harry even got a chance to respond though, Julian was asking loudly, “Allen, why are you blushing so much?”

He might have blushed even more if it wasn’t for the comical, united gasp as everyone else realised what had happened, or at least appeared to have happened, all at once. Wally almost looked like a blur with how quickly his head was moving back and forth looking between them.

His attention was caught by Joe though, who was smiling happily at him. He returned the smile as he said a silent thank you to the man. He felt like he might not have made it through the roller-coaster of a talk he had with Harry if not for his earlier talk with Joe.

When he felt Jesse hug him he only smiled more, hugging the young woman back. As he heard her whisper, “Thank you for making my Dad so happy”, so only he and Harry could hear his face actually started to ache from his smile.

At the feeling of Harry’s hand resting on his back he thought to himself that though he had given something that could have been great up by going back, he might have gotten something just as good, if not better in return. Even if he told himself he wouldn’t mess with the timeline again, he couldn’t regret what he had already done.

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Though he had fun teasing everyone with their little bit of news he was actually quite happy that they all knew, even if he wasn’t  quite sure what it was yet. He had learned the hard way, more than once, that secrets are hardly ever worth the cost of keeping them.

He felt his heart glow at the sight of his daughter hugging Barry and thought it might burst at the look on Barry’s face in response to her words. When his daughter had pulled away he really couldn’t help pulling the younger man closer as he gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Wally really should have known better than to teasingly call out, “You call that a kiss?”

Not wanting to disappoint he gave Barry a playful smile before pulling him back in for a proper kiss, Barry going lax in his arms as he clung to him. Pulling back soon enough, after all his daughter was in the room, he sent a raised eyebrow at Wally, daring him to say anything else. He didn’t.

The next few minutes were filled with each person coming forward to give the happy new couple some form of congratulations.

 Caitlin simply smiled as she pulled them both in for a hug, softly saying, “I’m happy for you two.”

The men where a little gruffer, Julian shaking their hands with a congratulations, while Joe hugged Barry and gave Harry a firm pat on the shoulder and gave him a look that warned against hurting his son. Wally, for his part, simply gave them a slightly awkward nod and smile.

Cisco, much like Caitlin, pulled them in for a hug, but left it at that. His congratulations were clear enough without words.

HR, never one to disappoint, smiled broadly as he gave them a crushing hug and asked them, “If you two get married can I be the one to officiate? I could even write it myself and tell your guys’ story.”

Laughing, Barry simply told him, “We’ll keep it in mind, HR.” Harry sent him a raised eyebrow at that but when all he got in return was a shrug he only laughed.

Then it was Iris’ turn. Harry actually felt his breath catch as he thought about all she had lost without even knowing it. He knew her response could potentially end this thing before it even really started. He was a little surprised when she looked at him with a genuine smile, telling him, “You better appreciate what you have here, Harry, but if you’re what make’s Barry happy, then welcome to the family.” She gave him a quick hug before turning to Barry and enveloping him in a greater one, softly telling him, “I’m glad to see you happy, Barry. That’s all I want for you, never forget that.”

There was a glisten to Barry’s eyes as he pulled her closer and told her, “I know.”

Not long later found the group splitting up to spend their free day however they wanted. By the time lunch rolled around only Barry and his Daughter were left sitting in the Cortex with him as they ate their lunch in amicable silence.

Harry used the time to really let things soak in. After all, it had been an eventful few days. As he looked at the two people he loved most in the world, in any world, he knew he’d never regret staying, even if he wasn’t privy to all the things that had changed around him. As long as he got to keep this, right now, he’d be happy.

Plus, he was pretty sure Barry had learned his lesson in regards to the timeline anyway. He didn’t think he’d be going through any of that again any time soon.    


End file.
